I should point out that the Sailworks website includes a sail tuning guide for each of their sail lines highlighting three rigging variations, light wind, medium wind and high wind settings. In my view, it's a good guide for any sails, since most brands follow similar design/performance concepts.

rounding up problems have less to do with sail tuning. technique the issue here. more important is Mast Foot Pressure. one needs to apply it with panache as one becomes more powered up.

ever notice that slower or less experienced folks never seem to sheet home properly? rig down too much in gusty conditions? chronically complain about wanting "steadier" winds? when one watches these folks, does one notice the nose up, sheeted out style?

More outhaul = draft moves forward, at least within the normal operating range.

Ditto more downhaul.

Too little dowhaul = top-heavy, plywood feel in most sails. Good for altitude and hang time if the sail was designed for it (e.g., the Hucker), but still produces high COE which must be managed by technique and sufficient board volume.

One valid reason for "excess" downhaul is the depowering effect someone mentioned. When the sun has set, the wind picks up, and there's no time to rig down, and I'm getting too hammered to have fun, I'll just overDH the sail to dump some power and keep on trucking. Another reason is to move the COE down when overpowered in the gusts if not using footstraps for whatever reason (skill level, injury, etc.)

OK Spennie. Now you've got me really curious. It sounds like you like, trust, and respect the guy. But you still rig your sails on occasion with more than his maximum recommended downhaul? You're telling us that he knows more about sails than you do. Bt you're getting a benefit from rigging that way, and he doesn't know about it?

A few of you are making generalizations about sail tuning. We can do much better than that. All of us will have access to the internet. Maybe your rigging guide is in your sail bag. And Aerotechs don't have a 'gear' reference marker on them, so the Sailworks guide doesn't translate.

Again, you can find 2014 sails with rigging guides than run from no loose leach to loose leeches down to the booms. Use YOUR guide for YOUR sail.

"A few of you are making generalizations about sail tuning. We can do much better than that. All of us will have access to the internet. Maybe your rigging guide is in your sail bag. And Aerotechs don't have a 'gear' reference marker on them, so the Sailworks guide doesn't translate."

My purpose in highlighting Sailwork's sail tuning illustrations and information was to show the range of acceptable adjustment built into sails these days, whether or not they have printed markers on them.

In reality though, one needs to experiment with sailing tuning to find what works for them in the varied conditions that they see at their favorite spots. There's no getting around it, the experience that one gets from experimentation is invaluable in getting to know your sails and finding out more about what they can offer.

To illustrate the point, here's the oft used Guy Cribb article featuring Dave White, who's about my size. Keep in mind, I don't rig like the article's talking about because I'm nowhere near as good a sailor as Dave. I tend to do what Spennie recommends and go bigger with more downhaul. Point is, there is no one "right" way to rig a sail.

I'm just not getting it, guys. Sure, slight variations in mast lengths and extension markings can make a difference if you use measurements only. But assuming you're using one of the recommended masts for your sail, and assuming that the rigging guide for your sail is based on visual references on the sail (the Sailworks gear, the Ezzy swoosh, verbage such as loose half way into second panel), how is it that you folks know more than the designer?

Why don't any rigging guides that I've ever seen address heavy sailor vs. light sailor? If rigging should change based on sailor weight, why don't some of these thorough guides address it? Don't these guys want their customers to get the most out of their sails? If a Sailworks sail, for example, is much rangier than what is printed in their guide, what would be their motive for printing the narrower range?

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